Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company was a
British
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engineering
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company based on the
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...
at
Wallsend
Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne.
History Roman Wallsend
In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This f ...
,
North East England
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.
History
Charles Algernon Parsons
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, (13 June 1854 – 11 February 1931) was an Anglo-Irish engineer, best known for his invention of the compound steam turbine, and as the eponym of C. A. Parsons and Company. He worked as an engineer on d ...
founded the company in 1897 with £500,000 of capital. It specialised in building the
steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
engines that he had invented for marine use. The first vessel powered by a Parsons turbine was ''
Turbinia
''Turbinia'' was the first steam turbine-powered steamship. Built as an experimental vessel in 1894, and easily the fastest ship in the world at that time, ''Turbinia'' was demonstrated dramatically at the Spithead Navy Review in 1897 and set ...
'', launched in 1894.
The successful demonstration of this vessel led to the creation of the company and the building of engines for the first two turbine-powered destroyers for the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, and , launched in 1899. Although both these vessels came to grief, the new engines were not to blame, and the
Admiralty
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was convinced. Parsons' son became a director in the company and was replaced during the First World War by his daughter
Rachel Parsons.
![Wirnik turbiny parowej ORP Wicher](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Wirnik_turbiny_parowej_ORP_Wicher.jpg)
Parsons turbines powered the Royal Navy's first turbine powered battleship, , and the world's first turbine
ocean liner
An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships).
Ca ...
s, and ''
Virginian''. Parsons turbines powered the
Cunard
Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...
express ocean liners and .
All early marine turbines drove their propellers directly. Parsons developed
helical
Helical may refer to:
* Helix, the mathematical concept for the shape
* Helical engine, a proposed spacecraft propulsion drive
* Helical spring, a coilspring
* Helical plc, a British property company, once a maker of steel bar stock
* Helicoil
A t ...
reduction gearing for marine turbines, and in 1908 converted the
cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
to turbine propulsion with reduction gearing.
Four direct-drive Parsons turbines powered battleship . They were designed to produce a total of , but achieved only in ''Arizona''s
sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s, when she met her designed speed of .
The Royal Navy,
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
and
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
used Parsons turbines on their destroyers. The s all used Parsons propulsion systems.
In 1944, Parsons was one of 19 companies which formed the 'Parsons and Marine Engineering Turbine Research and Development Association', usually known as Pametrada.
The destroyer , launched in 1964,
[ had a Parsons propulsion system.
The Cunard liner '' Queen Elizabeth 2'', launched in 1969, had Pametrada turbines.
The company was absorbed into C. A. Parsons and Company and survives in ]Heaton, Newcastle
Heaton is a district and suburb in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, east of the city centre. It is bordered by the neighbouring areas of Walkergate to the east, Jesmond to the north west, Byker to the south, and Sandyford to the west. ...
as part of Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
, a German
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industrial conglomerate.
See also
* C. A. Parsons and Company
References
Further reading
*
1897 establishments in England
Companies based in Newcastle upon Tyne
Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United Kingdom
Manufacturing companies established in 1897
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